http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0948470/
I took a lazy nap yesterday afternoon after orientation staff meeting. I then went to grab dinner at the campus cafeteria with two friends, who convinced me to join them and another friend to see the new Spider-Man movie in IMAX over at Bob Bullock History Museum nearby. At first I was reluctant to spend money to sit in a movie theater to watch a movie that I did not have much interest for up until that point. Though realizing that I did not have better alternatives that early in the evening, I went along with them to see the movie. When I was in line getting my ticket, I joked that the movie better be “amazing” or else I would ask for a refund, but boy was it a cinematic adventure to say the least!
I was shocked to find that Andrew Garfield, who plays Eduardo Savarin in the Social Network, plays Spiderman in the movie. He is beyond gorgeous to say the least, especially viewed in 3D glasses… What’s more? Emma Stone was in the movie! I absolutely adored her performance in The Help from 2011.
The story begins with a camera zooming into the young Peter Parker, who is left at an early age to the care of Uncle Ben and Aunt Mae after his father, a cutting-edge geneticist, is been pursued by those who are after his secretive work with DNA regeneration using reptiles. Uncle Ben and Aunt Mae are in every possible way father and mother figures in the life of Peter Parker. The couple treasures the boy as if he is their own. Despite been the “only child” in the house living with adopted parents, Peter is depicted as a “good boy” who stands up against bullies in school, who is smart, who helps around the house, and who is shy and inexperienced with talking to girls. This clumsiness in dealing with someone of opposite sex despite his otherwise brilliance and ingenuity makes Peter a lovable character from the get-go. Perhaps it is this picture-perfect family, aspects of functional co-dependence and seldom-found cross-generational connection and respect, that makes the death of Uncle Ben in the hands of a casual villain so emotionally harsh. This incidence serves as the turning point in which Peter Parker truly takes upon himself to be the male head in the family and seeks revenge in his new found role as a genetically modified, mutant superhuman. At the core of the story is about growing up and taking responsibility for one’s own actions; Peter resolves to revenge his uncle’s death as well as to preserve law and order amidst a chaos that he himself has created.
The well intentioned scientist. Dr. Connor, who turned “mad” and ascribes his personal ambition within a larger, nobler goal to improve humanity. Yet his character flaw, which caused his ultimate tragedy, is rooted in his hubris, as if he alone can save and improve humanity for the better.
The police chief, who happens to the father of the girl who is interested in Peter, serves as the protective father figure who sacrifices in the public field attempting to bring about law and order as means to protect his family and the community. Yet he too is a tragic outcome of hubris. He issued the order to arrest Spider-Man, when he should have known that Spider-Man, the vigilante, also serves the public good of maintaining order, albeit in an informal way, and if not better than the police.
Of course, the love story cannot be understated. I think it is this youthful plotline that traces the love development of Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy as two highly attractive and smart individuals who are righteous risk takers that make audience fall in love with them.
With July 4th on the horizon, I cannot fathom a better movie that depicts the national character of America better than the Amazing Spider-Man. The movieis a work that portrays the importance of family, community, good versus evil, and human hubris. Among other themes include corporate greed, fatherhood, care for each other, and of course, justice. All of which are truthful portrayal of various aspects of our country in exaggerated terms: the importance of a loving family, a sense of community (as portrayed by the construction worker who helps Spiderman out later in the movie for saving his son), good versus evil (the constant struggle to define who is good and who is evil), and human’s natural feel for invincibility and infallibility. The movie challenges us to reevaluate certain things in life: whether pursuing cutting-edge science have moral and ethical ramifications; who among our immediate support system deserve our utmost attention and love; how should we conduct ourselves to enhance the community we live in; and how do we wrestle with our inherent constraints as human beings, recognizing that we are flawed. These are perennial social issues that affect and intrigue our psych. I suggest that this may be why movies like the Amazing Spider-Man will timelessly capture our imaginations, hopes, expectations, and sorrows for ages to come.
I pray that America will stand on the side of justice for all people and continue to lead the world in fostering a democratic world of free thinkers and believers. Let the can-do American spirit sweep across the country and provide sustenance to national recovery and prosperity. And let the spirit of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution continue to inspire and liberate those living under tyranny. May the troops and civil servants abroad live and work in peace. I pray for their daily sacrifices. May we the people not forget the foundations of society: love, family, community. Happy 236th America. God bless the U.S.A.
Time Out 